LI Nursing Home To Pay Over $8 Million For Mistreatment, Fraud: NY AG

EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced a major settlement with an East Meadow-based nursing home.

Fulton Commons Care Center is required to pay up to $8.6 million and install monitors to reform the nursing home's healthcare and financial operations, James' office said.

The settlement comes after years of financial fraud and resident mistreatment, James said.

The Office of the Attorney General launched an investigation into Fulton Commons in 2018 that exposed longstanding neglect, abuse, mistreatment and financial fraud.

"For years, residents at Fulton Commons endured despicable mistreatment that left them with traumatic injuries and humiliating living conditions while the owners and operator of the facility pocketed millions of dollars of taxpayer funds instead of investing in critical care," James said. "The most vulnerable New Yorkers and their families trusted Fulton Commons to care for them, but instead of dignified treatment, they were neglected and abused."

The owners and operator of Fulton Commons will pay up to $7 million into a fund to implement the required reforms to ensure the safety of its residents, and pay an additional $1.6 million in restitution to Medicaid and Medicare for the funds they illegally diverted.

The attorney general also secured the guilty plea and sentencing of the Fulton Commons corporation for criminal acts relating to covering up reports of sexual assaults against residents in 2020 and 2022.

"We are ensuring that the owners and operator of Fulton Commons are held responsible for their negligence, and that the facility makes all the necessary changes to guarantee its residents get the care they deserve," she said.

Fulton Commons will now be controlled in part by an independent healthcare monitor, who will mandate reforms to improve resident care, such as hiring more staff.